US3624902A - Knife for skinning hides - Google Patents

Abstract

A POWER OPERATED KNIFE FFOR DEHIDING, OF THE TYPE UTILIZING A PAIR OF COUNTER-OSCILLATING CIRCULAR TOOTHED BLADES IN CLOSE ASSOCIATION, WHEREIN SAID BLADES ARE PROVIDED WITH GENERALLY RADIAL OPENINGS, EACH OPENING RECEIVING A CAM MOUNTED ON A SHAFT AND ROTATED BY POWER MEANS, SAID CAMS ROTATING OUT OF PHASE WITH EACH OTHER, AND INCLUDING KEYS EACH HAVING YOKE FOR THE RECEPTION OF SAID CAMS INDIVUDUALLY AND IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EDGES OF THE RADIAL OPENINGS IN THE BLADES. A UNITARY MAIN FRAME FOR CONTAINING AND HOLDING THE BLADES, CAMS, AND THE POWER MECHANISMS, GEAR BOX, ETC.

Description

Dec. 7, 1971 F, Q UMHOLTZ 3,624,902

KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES Filed NOV. 13, 1969 3 Sheets-Shoot 1 Dec. 7, 1971 F Q UMHOLTZ 3,624,902

KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES Filed NOV. 13, 1959 3 ShGBtS-Shet l 77 9A? ff De 7, 1971 F. G. uMHoLTz KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 13, 1969 United States Patent O 3,624,902 KNIFE FOR SKINNING HIDES Franklyn G. Umholtz, Shutesbury, Mass., assignor to 1lissell Harrington Cutlery Corporation, Southbridge,

ass.

Filed Nov. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 876,292 Int. Cl. B26b 19/12 U.S. Cl. 30-220 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A power operated knife for dehiding, of the type utilizing a pair of counter-oscillating circular toothed blades in close association, wherein said blades are provided with generally radial openings, each opening receiving a cam mounted on a shaft and rotated by powerv means, said cams rotating out of phase with each other; and including keys each having a yoke for the reception of said cams individually and in conjunction with the edges of the radial openings in the blades. A unitary main frame for containing and holding the blades, cams, and the power mechanisms, gear box, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE IINVENTION Hides have been removed from carcasses by means of power operated circular toothed knives being oscillated in opposite directions in conjunction with each other and using electric motors or relatively low speed air motors. Air motors are preferable because they can be utilized at higher speeds and are safer from a standpoint of shock, it being recognized that hides are often removed under conditions of moisture.

The difficulty with high speed air motors has been that the gear boxes, cams, etc. wear out very rapidly. The edges of the radial openings in the knife blades bearing on the cams wear into the cams rendering them unless in a very short period of time. The slow speed electric motors of course do not wear the cams to such an extent but regardless of the speed at which the knives are oscillated, it would be definitely advantageous were the tool to be provided with means whereby there would be less wear, lower maintenance cost, with better cutting achieved by reason of the higher speeds.

Also, the blades must be sharpened, or at least changed, at least once a day, and the construction of prior dehiding devices in such as to require an excess of down time for this purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A rotary Skinning knife comprising a unitary main frame and a cover that have relatively at tapered surfaces, the main frame supporting or journalling all of the mechanism including the cutting blades, a driving means, gear box, etc., the gear box including a pair of cams which are out of phase with each other and are provided with bearing rings to bear on the edges of radial apertures in the knife blades, thus oscillating the same at a high rate of speed, there also being novel yokes connected with respect to the blades, so that the cams bear on said yokes, thus providing a greatly widened cam bearing surface and reducing the wear on the cams to a really great degree.

In the present case the main frame which houses the knives and the gear box, as well as the shaft for driving the gear box, etc. is made in a single piece having a removable cover, so that once the parts are assembled, they t to the degree desired and last longer. The gearing is not separated during removal of the blades for sharpening, and the entire device can be replaced as a unit, or the power operating supply on the other hand ice can be replaced relative to the tool in case it should fail. Once the parts are set up there is no changing or interferences regardless of maintenance, oiling, etc., which must be done. In most cases the blades have to be removed for sharpening once a day.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that higher cutting speeds result in better and faster cutting. Where the present invention is utilized there is lower maintenance and less wear, these being advantages that are not possible in the prior art due to the fact that in most cases the energizing mechanism for the oscillatory motion of the blades must be removed or at least disturbed and reassembly of the parts is a relatively long process; whereas in the present case the blades can be removed upon removal of a very simple cover and sharpened and replaced with very little trouble and in a minimum of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a plan view of the entire tool;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plan view lwith the cover removed;

FIG. 4 is a similar View with the blades removed;

FIG. 5 is a view in side elevation of the unitary main frame;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through the entire device;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a key or yoke;

FIG. 8 is` a side view thereof looking in the direction of arrow 8 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the gearing;

FIG. l0 is a section through the frangible coupling, and

IFIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the blade holder and washer.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION A pair of oscillatory toothed disc blades or knives are indicated at 10 and 12. These are mounted in a unitary main frame member 14, see EFIGS. 2 and 5, this member having provision for bolting a cover 16 thereto. In FIG. 1 the reference numeral 18 indicates an aperture in this cover to which an oil cup is applicable and also it is protvided with bolts 20, 20 for connecting to the lower frame member 14. The cover 16 and the main frame 14 together provide a connection or fitting generally indicated at 22 for the reception of the end 24 of a flexible shaft 26 driven by an electric motor or an air motor.

The main frame L4 provides threads 30 for the reception of the fitting 22 and the drive shaft at 26 and it also encompasses a flat surface 32 which is cut away for the bearing reception of the lower blade 22, see FIG. 6, in the center of which is an upstanding stud 34 receiving the central apertures of both of the blades as indicated at 36 in FIG. `3.

Integral with the main frame 14 and extending upwardly therefrom there is an abutment or standard generally indicated at B8 and on this abutment there is provided an integral ring-like member 40. This member 40 receives a cover and bearing member 42 for a bearing collar 44 having a bearing in it receiving the upper end 46 of the gearing and cam unit which is shown in FIG. 9, and which is generally indicated at 48. The oil cup at 18 is also located in this cover member 42 and the entire apparatus is self-sufficient even in the absence of cover 16 which is of course provided to protect the works and also to guide the tool in separating the hide from the carcass. The gearing to be described as well as the knives are located solely on the main frame member.

The gear and cam unit 48 comprises a shaf-t 50 upon which are fixed the two cams 52 and 54 each of which is provided with a peripheral ring bearing 56. The cam 54 oscillates the lower blade 12 and the cam 52 oscillates the upper blade and they are both driven by a helical gear or the like 58 deriving its energy from a pinion 60 in turn rotated by shaft 62. This shaft has at its outer end a nut 64 in the shape of a hex or the like for coupling to a similar nut 66 at the end of the flexible shaft 26, these two members being clutched by a frangible plastic sleeve or the like 68, shaped to the nuts 64 and 66, which will break on overload and acts therefore as a safety factor. The gear 58 and the two cams are mounted on a shaft of which the upper end at 46 is mounted in the bearing bushing 44 and the lower end of which is mounted in a similar bearing or bushing 61 in the main frame and which may be also provided with an oil cup or the like 63. The cap 42 is provided with a pre-loading spring or the like 65 if desired.

Each of the blades 10 and 12 is provided with a radial cutaway slot 69 and the cams bear on the edges thereof thereby oscillating the two blades in opposite directions about the centers thereof in the stud 34. The blades are held down by means of a top blade washer 70- having an arcuate Teilon bearing member 76 for blade 10. The lower blade 12 oscillates on the ridges of the aluminum casing of the main frame shown at 72 in FIGS. 4 and 6.

This blade washer also has a cavity v80 for the reception of the rounded head portion 82 of an upper yoke 84 which has a downwardly extending short pin 86 extending into a corresponding aperture in the top blade 10. This yoke has a pair of spaced legs as at 88, 88 just receiving the upper cam 52 and by reason of the interconnection of the pin 86 with relation to t-he upper blade 10, it will be seen that the fblade is thereby oscillated by the yoke.

The yoke legs 88,- 88 are widened, see FIG. =8, to provide for an increased bearing surface for the respective cams, and there is of course another like yoke indicated at 90, see FIGS. 3 and 4,by which the lower blade is oscillated, the corresponding pin on the lower yoke being directed upwardly so as to engage the respective aperture in the lower blade 12 for oscillating the same as described.

I claim:

1. A Skinning tool comprising a one-piece main frame including a lower frame member and an integral standard, means journaling a drive shaft in the frame, a gear shaft, a journal for one end of the gear shaft in the lower frame member, a pair of cams on the gear shaft, said cams being out of phase with respect to each other,

said standard including means for journaling the opposite end of said gear shaft, the drive shaft rotating the gear shaft,

a pair of oscillatory blades, means mounting said blades on said lower frame member in advance of said gear shaft, and interengaging means between said blades and said cams respectively for oscillating said blades in opposite directions.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein the means on the standard journaling the opposite end of the gear shaft is spaced from the journal in the main frame to accommodatethe gear shaft and the cams in the rnain frame.

3. The tool of claim 1 including a cover, said cover having reduced side portions adjacent the gear shaft, means to secure the cover to the main frame, the latter having like reduced side portions.

4. The tool of claim 1 wherein the means journaling the opposite end of said gear shaft in the standard is removable from the standard.

5. The tool of claim 1 wherein the means on the standard journaling the opposite end of the gear shaft is spaced from the journal in the main frame to accommodate the gear shaft and the cams in the main frame, and a cover for closing the main frame and covering the standard.

6. A tool comprising a one-piece main frame, a shaft, means in the main frame journaling both ends of the shaft, the main frame being of a generally at formation with a cavity at one side accommodating lthe shaft and the shaft journaling means, a blade, means on the frame mounting the rblade, means on the shaft to drive the blade, and a cover separate from the main frame,

said cover and said main frame embracing and covering the blade except at the cutting edge thereof, the

cover also covering the shaft and the blade driving means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,979,820 4/ 1961 Thompson 30-215 1,945,247 1/1934 Wezel 17-21 3,073,027 1/1963 `ONeilly 30-216 3,435,522 4/1969 'Wezel et al 30-219 FOREIGN PATENTS 977,702 11/1950 France 30--216 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner J. C. PETERS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 3 0-222

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